Aveline Opens in The Warwick Hotel: 12 Innovative Dishes to Try

By Virginia MillerJune 10, 2014By Virginia Miller | June 10, 2014

Photo by: Virginia Miller

Aveline is the brand-new restaurant which opened on June 6 at The Warwick Hotel, perfectly perched for the gallery browsers, theatergoers and shoppers of Union Square. The exciting menu comes from Napa-based chef Casey Thompson (formerly of Top Chef and Dallas' Shinsei). Her dishes—like crab-shrimp macarons and a dessert riff on cake batter—are blessedly original and more often than once, they wow in concept and flavor. With its convenient location, sophistication and high prices, it subtly reminds us of The Betony in NYC, but it also nods to the playful innovation of Jose Andres' The Bazaar.

Sommelier Betsy Ross puts together a winning list of wines that is strong on the bubbly and small-production, local and international producers. There's also a chef's kitchen counter where you can eat according to the chef's whim, with cocktail pairings. Aveline is open Sunday-Thursday, 5-10 PM and Friday-Saturday, 5-11 PM, with weekend brunch slated to begin late summer. Check out our top 12 dishes from an early visit below and remember to have a look around Aveline's sister bar, The European, right here. 490 Geary St.; 415-292-6430

Photo by: Virginia Miller

One of those sigh-worthy courses: plump, hot crab-and-shrimp macarons ($17) arrive tied with string in a box that quickly soaks up oil. But no matter: you'll polish these gems off pronto. They're like a glorified dim sum dish and would work beautifully for brunch.

Photo by: Virginia Miller

A contrast to The European's dark warmth across the lobby, Aveline is elegantly soft in greys and rust-orange, marked by bright artwork from Sarah Atkinson and Patrick Wright, while a glass-walled wine room dramatically centers the room.

There's a charming mini "Palate Reset" menu ($6 each) of palate-cleansing dishes in between courses. On opening night, one was composed of strawberry, crème fraîche and verbena sorbet, while we adored a second "reset" bowl of cooling cucumber granita under fluffy-tart lemon meringue.

Photo by: Virginia Miller

Another fantastic surprise is a pasta dish of soft, wide fazoletti ($19). The surprise comes in the decidedly Southwest, Tex-Mex accents colliding with this decidedly Italian noodle. Dried corn custard and roasted corn dot the noodles, marked by lime butter, savory hints of cumin and—here's another Italian element—tempura-ed squash blossoms for a final crispy contrast.

"Roots, Fruits and Whey Batter" ($13) is essentially a dark-chocolate batter smeared around a bowl. Diners get a wooden spoon to scoop it out. It's just like those times you licked the chocolate chip cookie dough bowl as a kid, only this time it's a red Le Creuset bowl and the batter glistens with subtle sugar crystals, cashews and hazelnuts.

Photo by: Virginia Miller

Savory types who usually skip sweets, the buttered peas ($13) dessert is for you. This silken pea and coffee pudding is marked by candied mint leaves, apricot cake chunks and whips of meringue. Under the "Spun" section of the dessert menu, house ice creams ($9 each) are also worth trying, especially the roasted corn and jalapeño flavor. There's also roasted strawberry lemonade or a funky blue cheese-dark chocolate.